The Armour Archive

I'm not sure what forum this belonged in, so I appologize if it is slightly off topic, but....
It seems every event I go to makes me want to make more stuff. Stuff for me to update my own kit, stuff for other people because it is something they need or looks as if it's a piece that would fit better to the scene, or stuff for later when someone shows up without. I love to make armour and clothes and stuff but I feel as though I have to skip some practices to have the time to make it. I work every other weekend and am on the second shift routine, so it often times cuts into my fighting time. I want to be a good fighter but I also love to make stuff. I have recently gotten my tools and things from my brother's house to be able to make some armour out in the yard and it's a bug that has been itching me all winter.
Is there a happy medium betwen fighting and making things that can be achieved? If I'm happy making things and being a mediocre fighter, is that bad? I don't really have that drive to want to win everything ( although it sounds nice) but I don't want to be the speed bump in the tourney either. Anyone have some advice on the matter?

Thats where im pretty much at. Building armour full time does not leave me much time to armour for myself, but i have armour needs.
I have a fine kit, but its old enough where i dont feel it represents where im at anymore. I dislike fighting in it even though its pretty nice. So im working on new gear for me, but its slow going, ive had to sell pieces made for myself because an armourer is always in need of cash.
I do enjoy fighting, but am no longer hungry for it. That may change, who knows.Spending 50 hrs a week making medieval things usually satisfys my medieval need, and im less drawn to medieval activities on the weekend.
Ive yet to achieve a happy meduim with it all

This is one of the reasons why I don't make armour for sale. That and I'm not that good at it. Well not good enough to sell anyhow. I make things that I find appealing, that I want for myself, or things that someone else mentions that I think would be fun to make. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything I'd like. What I really need is for my kids to grow up so they can support me in the fashion to which I'd like to become accustomed so I can make stuff all day just for fun.

Ah Yoshida, you seek the impossible, as many of us do. I too want to create things constantly, and wanted to be the best fighter I possibly could, and they conflicted until my knight told me to cut back on creating and concentrate on fighting. It got me knighted, but did not take away my need to create, and still I can't fit it all in. So my advice is: do what you enjoy, because you can't do it all. But you can have a ball trying.

Garth

my knight aveloc once explained to me that I could armour of fight to do both at a high rate of activity would be too much form my body type.

I disagreed and armoured four nights a week and missed three practices in a year and a half.

at some point after that I started breaking down physically.

I loved both and didnt want to have to choose one or the other so I started looking into replicating my techniques with machines.

nine+ years later I am still very very healthy at 40... fight all the time and armour at least three days a week or more.

Yeah this one is digging at me too...

I like to fight, I love to smith and I'm smithing full time now gradualy building a business out of it.

I can build nice armour now, couldn't before. But the nice armour I build now is for sale, don't really have the time to dedicate to build a nice helm for myself to replace the shit helm that I made earlier. If I make a nice helm I had best sell it to keep the flow going.

I'm making a pretty bitching close helm right now, I think I might just keep this one rather then sell it since it isn't really SCA legal. (although adding a couple spring pins would probably make it so)

It all depends on why you are in the SCA. Is it to fight? Is it to armor? Or is it just to have fun?

For me, the fun is the whole point. I know people who I don't think have had fun with the SCA in years, but they keep plugging away at it. I quit the SCA when I quit having fun and have only come back now that a new shire is starting up. I get to host the first event, even!

If you have a functional kit and don't have any particular obligations to the group (officer or member of a fighting team), do whatever you want, when you want to. You are here for fun, right?

If your fighting kit and garb are not yet up to par, I suggest that you concentrate on getting them done before you just go for the "what do I feel like doing today" route. That's only because having a good kit will make it possible to just decide to go play middle ages instead of working on a project. Not having a functional kit means that you will be less comfortable going and playing, since you know that there are projects you really should finish first.

Above all, remember why you joined. I'll bet a nickel it was for fun.

-Patrick

You got me on that one. Send me your addy so I can cut you a check for that nickel

I am in the same boat as well. For the last four months I have been working as an apprentice with Patrick Thaden. If you seen his stuff, you know how blessed I am to be able to learn from. What is funny I have been working on my armor and getting in shape, but when Patrick gives me a project to do, I completely forget about fighting and get so into creating things. I am definitely not a great armorer or even a excellent apprentice. I do try though and work hard at the skills that I have aquired the past months. I do plan on fighting and when I believe that I have a sound foundation of armoring, I will begin to fight a lot more full time. Oh, and I also need to finish my kit lol. I say do what you love and let your time and physical state dictate how much you do. I also have a family and the SCA is alot easier to get them involved. I cannot really do that at the armor shop since it is very dangerous. So, eventually I will be going to fighting and events. I also plany on saving money and make my own little armor shop so that I can do little armor projects for myself an people I like. Already started collecting tools. I know my skill will nevr be like Thaden's, but I never plan on making any money or really selling stuff anyhow. Well this is my expierence on this subject since it affects me all the time.

I've been fighting in loaner gear for the past year now. I have my own helm that desperately needs to be retired, an articulated pointy elbow that is taped on, a bauziband for my left arm along with a hockey glove, the sexy gauntlet for my right hand and any legs that are leftover at an event or practice that aren't being used